Frank Meyer: The Man Who Invented Conservatism | Tom Woods Show

The Discovery of Frank Meyer's Papers

• 💡 Dan Flynn recounts his persistent search for Frank Meyer's lost papers, which led to the discovery of 663 boxes containing invaluable historical material.
• 🔑 Among the findings were letters from notable figures like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and William F. Buckley, alongside extensive correspondence with Wilmore Kendall and Brent Bozell.
• 🚀 Flynn's dedication, including a Freedom of Information Act request and extensive searching, uncovered material previously unknown to scholars, forming the basis for his book.

Frank Meyer's Early Life and Political Evolution

• 🚩 Meyer's early life involved significant involvement with communism in Great Britain, where he was described as a founder of the student communist party movement.
• 🕵️‍♂️ His activities included a clandestine relationship with Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald's daughter, leading to his deportation from the UK.
• 🧠 After his communist phase, Meyer transitioned to conservatism, leveraging his charisma to influence the development of the post-war right.

The Concept of Fusionism

• 🤝 Meyer's life project was fusionism, an attempt to unite libertarians and traditionalists under the banner of American founding principles.
• 💡 He argued that freedom and tradition are not in conflict but are cooperative, forming the core of Western civilization.
• 🗣️ This ideology became the default position for many conservative intellectuals from Barry Goldwater to Ronald Reagan.

Meyer's Influence and Controversies

• 🏛️ Meyer was instrumental in the creation of National Review and the American Conservative Union, and influenced the Sharon Statement.
• 🧐 His views on the Civil Rights Movement were negative, viewing it as a form of blackmail and disagreeing with the concept of equality of outcomes.
• 💥 Meyer's controversial stance on Abraham Lincoln, whom he viewed as authoritarian and a precursor to the New Deal, sparked significant debate with figures like Harry Jaffa.

Meyer's Relationship with Libertarianism and Rothbard

• 🤝 Meyer's intellectual journey led him to libertarianism, particularly influenced by Friedrich Hayek's "The Road to Serfdom".
• 💬 He had a close relationship with Murray Rothbard, serving as a sounding board and influencing the publication of Rothbard's "Man, Economy, and State."
• 🧐 While Rothbard viewed fusionism as essentially libertarianism, Meyer's strong anti-communist stance and views on foreign policy sometimes diverged from Rothbard's.

The Legacy of Fusionism

• 🌟 Meyer's fusionism, initially conceived as a communist strategy to appeal to the American tradition, was later adapted to unite conservatives and libertarians around the principle of freedom.
• 🇺🇸 This ideology proved politically effective, influencing figures like Ronald Reagan, whom Meyer predicted would emerge as a leader.
• 📈 Despite current political shifts, Meyer's work continues to be a valuable resource for understanding the intersection of conservative and libertarian thought.